People!

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Sandi LeFaucheur

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I know this is brain-dead, but I'm getting a migraine and I have to finish this article for Journalism, and I just can't think.

Which is correct?
Many people's first thought...
Many peoples' first thought...

I reckon #1 because people is plural to begin with, but the whole rotten sentence is starting to sound bad!

(And isn't people a funny word if you say it over and over?)

Thanks
 

arrowqueen

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Yep. 'People's' is correct. It's like 'children's' and 'women's'.
 

Jamesaritchie

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blacbird said:
All of which are correct, and all of which are clumsy, both to read and to pronounce. I'd rephrase so you didn't need to use such constructions.

caw
Click to expand...

I don't think any of these should be considered clumsy. They're good, useful, simple, and common possessives. Better to use one of these, rather than looking for something else that probably won't work as well.
 
Woof

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Sandi LeFaucheur said:
Which is correct?
Many people's first thought...
Many peoples' first thought...
Click to expand...

Not entirely sure what context that sentence is in, but I would use a
different sentence structure, and choice of words. Something like:

The first thought that came to most people's minds...
 
ErylRavenwell

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People with ess usually pertains to nations or tribes. "Peoples'" won't do
 
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ErylRavenwell

ErylRavenwell

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Jamesaritchie said:
I don't think any of these should be considered clumsy. They're good, useful, simple, and common possessives. Better to use one of these, rather than looking for something else that probably won't work as well.
Click to expand...

I agree, but "Many peoples' first thought..." doesn't make a lick of sense to me.
 
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akiwiguy

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How about...

For many people the first thought is...
 
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